The high court on Tuesday issued an interim order restraining investigating agencies like the CBI and the ED from sharing with media outlets information about any accused or statements of any witness till the chargesheet is filed.
Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya, who passed the order, also issued a bar on live-streaming of any raid or seizure operation conducted by investigators.
The judge asked the investigating agencies not to disclose information about any raid they are planning to conduct.
The order followed a petition by Rujira Banerjee, wife of Trinamul Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, seeking restrictions on alleged news leaks during the investigation.
The petitioner also sought an order disallowing any media trial against accused and witnesses in the form of news items and comments.
Referring to the ED’s probe into the dealings of Leaps and Bounds in connection with the school recruitments case, the petitioner said some media outlets, particularly social media platforms, had been publishing concocted stories because she had been summoned by the agency for questioning.
The judge, in his order, said the name of the writer of such reports should accompany the news items.
The judge asked the investigators not to allow media personnel during their raids in connection with any case.
The judge also held that the media personnel should not publish photographs of the accused and witnesses in any case till the chargesheet is filed.
The judge gave the ED time till November 1 to file its affidavit in response to the contentions and demands of Rujira Banerjee. The case will come up for a detailed hearing again in December.
The issue of the assets of Abhishek Banerjee and his family came up after the ED informed the court that it suspected that money collected from the candidates who had allegedly been illegally appointed in schools was channelled through Leaps and Bounds.
Abhishek is said to be the CEO of Leaps and Bounds.
One of the former directors of the company, Sujay Krishna Bhadra, has been arrested by the ED in connection with the school recruitment case.